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Originally Posted by trikesrule
Yep jy and coln I hear u. First I need to see (this weekend) the car on the track before I go changing rates then implimenting the brains trust suggestions I will begin to play. Anyone know where I can get a Leaf Spring Rate Checker. I could make one if I had that elusive thing called time. But I haven't so I'll have to bite the bullet and purchase one. Anyone got one laying around they want to off load?.........trikes
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Another trick I've seen to lower a car using standard leaf springs is invert the second longest leaf & shackle it to the longest. This effectively straightens the combined spring hence lowering the car. Two things to watch out for though. First I reckon it softens the spring rate as one of the leaves is now trying to regain it's original shape rather than being deflected from it as it is compressed. Second, it could lead to a fatigue failure where the ends of the second longest leaf meet the longest leaf. That said, it seemed to work quite effectively on a Lancia Fulvia I competed against.
Re. measuring the rates, you don;t need to make anything, simply stand on the spring whilst ensuring the ends can slide along the ground as it spreads. Your weight in pounds divided by the deflection in inches == the spring rate in pounds per inch. It's easy enough to get an accuracy of at least 90% which is good enough for most of us.